Hey Space Enthusiasts!
     This past Saturday, May 18, was an exciting day for the Voyager Club’s Cadets as they gathered at Starbase Williamson for their monthly meeting. For those who might not know, the Voyager Club is all about creating a space-faring civilization, and these cadets are in serious training to one day serve in some division of the space service. venturing deep into space on thrilling missions of exploration.
     The meeting started at 8:00 A.M. with bingo. There were several winners who walked away with varying amounts of sugar goodies. Club President Amberly opened the meeting with introductions. Cadets who recently earned ship passes were highlighted. Admiral Williamson spoke about the Space Center's space camp history, afterwards there was a discussion on the differences between school year volunteering and summer camp volunteering. Jason Trump, the Education Director at Clark Starbase gave an excellent presentation on "Preparing for the Next Generation of Astronauts," giving our cadets a deep dive into what it really takes to become an astronaut in the years ahead. From the physical challenges to the mental grit and technical skills required, Jason covered it all.
       Drawing for prizes was done after the presentation.  Some of the items given away were: binoculars, a door hanging basketball hoop, a Dungeons and Dragons journal, bluetooth keyboard, planetarium tickets, an around the neck fan, and a variety of t-shirts.  The next club meeting will be held in June.  

     Dave Stevens, a member of the StageWorks Department's Leadership Team, held a Unity workshop on May 11 at the Space Center in Pleasant Grove. Six members of the department attended. Their goal is to learn more about Unity so they can move from apprentice level to journeyman and even master level.  Once they reach the master level, they will be able to create visuals for the Space Center's simulators.  

     Congratulations to the Middle School Tiger Squadron for finishing the 2023-2024 Long Duration Mission with flying colors.  They "won" the mission under the steady hand of Captain Henry.  As part of their meeting, they met with me in my classroom and did the InfinD League competition mission.  The league is part of Mission.io.  They place in the top 20 of school groups worldwide.  Not bad at all.  

     Working the mission from behind the scenes were the outstanding Voyager Club volunteers.  Lily was at the Flight Director station.  

     Every once in awhile we need to be reminded that the Space Center's Field Trip Program has always been the primary purpose of the Space Center.  Running field trips was the program that convinced the school board to support my idea of creating a space education center in the first place back in 1990 when it they had to make the critical decision on letting me run the space center full time, or make it an after school program only for Central Elementary School students.
      Today's field trip program continues that legacy and is sometimes overlooked by the glamor of the private missions and camps.  I want to take a moment to thank our daytime field trip staff for the work they do towards making the Space Center a valuable, contributing program for the students of Utah.  It is the best field trip in the state.
      Speaking about field trips and their importance, this is something I wrote back in May of 2002.  Please take a moment to read. 
The Space Center's Blog (Space EdVentures) May 2002
     We are nearing the end of the school year.
     For this week's Journal I would like all our employees and volunteers to consider the Space Center's primary mission - the Daily Field Trips. The purpose of the Center is, and always will be, the daily field trip program. Private missions, Overnight camps, summer camps all play a major part in the funding of Center operations but our primary reason for existence is the daily field trip program. Without the finest daily program I've failed, the Center has failed, we all fail. The Center would be closed and the public money allocated to us yearly would be used more effectively elsewhere.
     All of us benefit from an outstanding educational field trip. It is how we are judged in the community. Look at the numbers. We see nearly 250 students and teachers weekly on the field trips. Compare that to 42 students on the overnight camp and approx. 125 in private missions. The daily field trips provide the motivation for students to return for
these other programs.
     All employees and volunteers of the Center support the daily field trip program. This is done by:    
     1. Providing technical and programming support for the simulators.
     2. Talking about the daily field trip program to family and friends. By letting people people understand the importance of the program we highlight our true purpose and validate our existence and the amount of public money spent. If someone were to ask about the Center, an employee or volunteer first discusses the education component of Center operations - the field trips, the Starlab Planetarium, the classes, the oceanography program, etc.
     3. Volunteering, as you all do, for private missions and overnight camps. The private missions and overnight camps provide the lion share of our operating budget and exist to serve the Field Trips and educational programs.
     Our daily program is the pride of the Center. We deliver one of the finest field trips students can take anywhere in Utah. That is due to the fine work and dedication of many people. Please let those employees and volunteers that assist with that program know you appreciate their efforts. We are in May - and approaching the end of our season. The daily workers have been doing 4 and 5 missions and 2 classes including Starlab Planetarium presentations a day to between 40 and 70 students four times a week. It gets really hard to get yourself "up" to it day in and day out. The repetition can be mind numbing and there are days it takes everything you have to the very fiber of your gut to be happy, friendly, and warm to our visiting students and teachers.
     Thank you to our daily workers for everything you do. Keep your spirits up to the end. Keep smiling even on the days were you think if you have to do this once more you will loose your mind. I know, along with all the other employees and volunteers of the Center, that your success brings the kids back for all other programs. So a special pat on the back to:

     Around the year 2010, the School District purchased a section of land where the north end of Central School now stands with the purpose of putting a new Space Center on that land on a future bond election. I was asked to start imagineering designs for that new Center.  I put that task to Alex DeBirk, current director of the American Heritage Space Center.  After a great deal of thought, this was his proposed design for the new Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center.  I'm not going to include all the rational behind each section because it the post would go on for quite some time.  I only put this here out of historical interest. 
     What are your thoughts on this Space Center design?  What kind of Space Center would this have been to work and volunteer in?  By the way, the Guild Hall was the meeting room for the Acting, Programming, and Writing Departments of their day. The "Class" rooms are two full sized classrooms. The locker rooms were for the weekly overnight camps. The Assembly room would hold the Galileo and provide meeting areas to start and end camps (and cots for the overnight camps).

So, was school really more challenging back then? Would you have been able to graduate eighth grade 100 years ago? Try your hand at the exam, below, and check your answers at the Bullitt County Museum website to see if you passed.
​

     Renaissance Academy's The Space Place is the home of the Farpoint Voyager Club. The Farpoint Voyager Club has two levels; Explorers and Volunteers.  Farpoint Explorers are assigned to Long Duration Mission squadrons. The squadrons meet once per month to fly their 8 month long mission and learn about space and astronomy.  Farpoint Volunteers may also be in a squadron but it isn't required. A Farpoint Voyager Volunteer's responsibility is to volunteer aboard the Starship Voyager.
​      I'm privileged to get to work with both the Farpoint Voyagers and the Space Center Voyagers.  Megan Warner (pictured above) is also a duel club leader.  Megan is on the Farpoint and the American Heritage Voyager teams.  Yesterday we met one of her American Heritage Voyagers who came it to get more volunteer time on the Voyager.  

     Watching Voyagers volunteer for a mission on the Voyager is nearly identical to the work Volunteers do at the Space Center. They check in when they arrive and then "hang out" with the supervisors in the Control Room to receive their assignments for the mission and prep for their acting roles.  Then its time for cleaning or setting up an away mission while the crew is being briefed by the Flight Director.  A few of them will be called into the briefing room to demonstrate when a Voyager is acting as a Volunteer and when he is playing an acting role.  They also act out a "getting stunned" scenario for the crew so they are properly trained to move them to the either the Voyager's large Brig or Sick Bay room.  The entire staff will join the FD in the Briefing Room to sing "Happy Birthday" to the birthday boy or girl if the mission is part of a birthday party. 

      The Volunteers took some time before Saturday's mission started to run through a team building exercise on the Voyager's Bridge led by Megan and Livy.  It was fun seeing them bond and have a bit of fun before getting down to business.  Doing team building activities is an effective and successful way of creating camaraderie within a staff.   

     My goal as the Space Center's Outreach Coordinator and a Farpoint Voyager Team Leader is to bring the Voyager Clubs closer together so our members feel comfortable volunteering at multiple locations.  Team building events like this will help so look for more of them in the future.  Remember, "Somewhere, Something Incredible is Waiting to be Known" (Carl Sagen). The Voyager Clubs' mission is to inspire and motivate young people to look up and dream of what that "something" may be.  Creating a Space-Faring civilization is done one person at a time. We do it in our simulators, classes, camps, and planetarium.  Thank you to our Voyagers everywhere for sharing your time and talents with our students and patrons.    

     Our friends at Mission.io  launched the 2024 InfiniD League Competition Mission two days ago.  School's worldwide within the Mission.io network will compete for prizes, a trophy, and bragging rights.  Two of my Young Astronaut squadrons at Renaissance Academy did the competition on Friday.  The 3rd Grade Tigers took 5 place; however I don't know how long that standing will last :) Schools have until the end of the month to compete. 
     Voyager Club members, are you ready to join the competition?  Throughout the month of May you'll have the opportunity to join a team and compete in the challenge.  Look for more information here in the blog and in the Google Classroom.